Rubatosis
by Tirainy
Summary: It felt like dying and then coming back to life.


**Rubatosis**

It felt like dying and then coming back to life.

 **TAGs:** Shadow the Hedgehog, Dr. Eggman, one-shot, Writing exercise, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000, my take on what Shadow probably felt like when in the cryogenic chamber

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.**

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When he became aware of himself again, the first thing his mind was able to focus on was his own heart, with its slow yet powerful beats that reverberated through his whole being like the sound of a massive bell that was too grand to be ignored.

He analyzed the feeling, following it as it reached further. Vaguely, he could feel his limbs and it took him a moment to realize what those were. He tried to move them, but they felt stiff and refused to listen to him. Instinctively, he willed his eyes to open but they too didn't listen to his command.

His heart thudded painfully in his chest.

The sense of touch was now slowly coming back to him. He felt wet and light as if he was submerged in some kind of liquid but strangely it had the bite and coldness of a solid ice. His back rested on something hard, flat and cold, making him realize he was in fact lying, on what he however didn't know.

Neither did he know where he was nor how he had gotten here in the first place, his sluggish mind trying to recall where he had been before he had lost consciousness.

His ears twisted weakly as he could hear an odd sound, soon realizing it was in fact the odd liquid being drained away from...what exactly?

He pushed, digging deeper into his memories. An image— _memory_ —finally flashed in his mind, telling him where he was.

He was in a chamber. The cryogenic chamber that was in the possession of...

His heart squeezed painfully, making him cough out the foreign liquid from his lungs and then breath in the suddenly oddly warm air of his glass cage.

His fingers flexed ever so slightly, the warm air finally returning feeling to them. The warmth was drawing his mind from the depths of sleep, dragging the memories he had been scrambling for with it.

GUN. He was in the hands of _GUN_.

Suddenly, old memories came pouring in and his heart hammered against his ribcage with such force it was a wonder that it didn't break right through.

He remembered now. GUN had found his escape pod and seized him while he was unconscious, having hit his head on one of the pod's wall when the capsule finally landed. They had brought him into one of their bases and injected him with sedatives before he'd have a chance to do anything. When he had woken up again, he had already been being stuffed into the cryogenic chamber but unable to do anything about it because of the drugs in his system.

The scientists hadn't bothered to sedate him more and only told him the fate of Maria—deceased—and Professor Gerald—incarcerated, as well as telling him he would not be woken up until there was a _need_ for him. Which could be in weeks, months, years, or even _decades_.

However, he knew that was just excuse— _weapons_ were always needed. GUN was just stalling for the time they needed to find a way how to make him obey when they no longer had Maria to unknowingly act the part. Of course, they still had the professor but he was old—his health had been getting worse on board of ARK already and the death of his beloved granddaughter was sure to leave a mark too—the man did not have much time left and the moment Professor would die, he'd have fled.

And GUN knew it as well; it would have been foolish of them to not lock him up when they had the chance.

He still remembered the hissing sound of the chamber door closing, how the air in his little cage turned icy cold, remembering his breath coming out as a fog, creating patterns on the glass door before the freezing fluid filled the chamber. The same icy coldness that he had felt upon his waking gradually worked its way into his muscles and tissues, taking away his ability to move them so he could only lay there, having to breath in this cold and let it freeze him from the inside just like from outside.

He wasn't sure how long it had taken him to fall unconscious. Maybe seconds, maybe minutes. He didn't know. The only thing that had assured him time was still passing back then was his own heartbeat. A rhythmic sound that had too soon started to slow down just like his breath, his body automatically shutting down in response to the cold, preparing itself for deep hibernation.

It was what Shadow imagined death felt like.

Slow, cold and uncertain.

But now, now it was all going away. Cold, uncertainty if he'd see another day— _everything_. He was stepping back into the realm of living; his heart was quickly returning to its regular rhythm, his body felt warm and movable again, and his mind was gradually getting clearer as more memories rushed in to prepare him for the world out there again.

Dark ears perked up as a familiar hissing sound reached him, making him open his eyes and realize the sound was the door of the cryogenic chamber finally opening—and it was at the moment that he fully realized what was actually happening.

He was being released.

But why? GUN had finally found a way to control him? Or were they in such a desperate situation that they'd risk releasing him and hope they could manage to appeal to his sense of compassion to help them? Because they definitely would be no such luck for them after all what they had done.

He rose to his full height the moment the chamber door has opened itself enough, prepared to fight for his freedom if necessary. Crossing his arms over his chest in a show of nonchalance to show he didn't consider them threat, he let his sense of hearing find his 'rescuer', the task made a bit more difficult by the fact alarms were sounding through the base for some reason.

However, despite this noisy complication, it didn't take him long to spot the person that had released him. His first initial thought was that it was in fact Professor Gerald himself, but a closer look and a first word from the man quickly convinced him that was in fact not true.

The man looked way too young to be Professor Gerald and his voice was also much harsher on the ears than the professor's. However, it was without a doubt that the man was Robotnik as well, his resemblance to Professor Gerald undeniable.

His brows furrowed ever so slightly as he regarded the talking man with a scrutinizing look.

The man's attire was odd, some sort of bright uniform Shadow had not ever seen before and doubted that a military organization like GUN would ever take as its standard; though he still made sure to search with his eyes for some kind of logo—as how else could have this man gotten this deep into the base without being a part of the organization?

But neither on his clothes nor on his vehicle was any type of GUN insignia to be found, even though GUN—to his knowledge—had always labeled their property in any way they could. Therefore, there was only one conclusion to be drawn.

Whoever this man was, he was not part of GUN—and judging by the sirens sounding through the base, the man had _forced_ his way in.

And now the man stood here, both a potential ally against GUN or an enemy. Whichever the man would become depended only on his own decision—a decision Shadow had already made a long time ago.

A smirk spread across tan lips.

It seemed GUN was in for a harsh awakening.

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 **AN:** For those interested in the title: Rubatosis is 'the unsettling awareness of one's own heartbeat'.

 **[Last Edited: 2018-09-07]**


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